So many of these threads have been written… so many…
Look, I’ve written some quite extensive posts about this subject in the past. I’m 41 years old and the very first ever single that I bought was in 1970 as an 8 year old - I gave my Christmas money to my older brother to go buy me “Let it Be” by The Beatles. I’d like to think I’ve been into music an awful long time. I’ve got my own studio nowadays and I’d like to think I make stuff as good as anything on sale out there as well. The joy of making your own music as close to the “million dollar studio” sound is a real buzz.
But this time, I’m going to try a different tack. I’d like to talk this time about the history of commerce in regards to music, and how it’s evolved the way it has.
In particular, consider the “bobby soxer” movement in the 40’s where young teenage girls worshipped Frank Sinatra. I’m pretty sure that was the first time that the “music biz” noted how image was an incredibly manipulative tool in regards to marketing music. Of course, Sinatra was, and remains, a totally cool muso who happened to also make movies - but it’s a very salient point. At some point in our formative years, all of us, look to the music of our generation as being something which “speaks on behalf of us” - in a way which we can identify with, and be very loyal to.
In my opinion, the last truly GREAT era for music, in terms of speaking to an entire generation, was the Vietnam era. Some of those protest songs were just wonderful. Also, it was an era which was largely free of institutionalised payola - which certainly can’t be said to be the case today.
But by the early 1970’s I started to see the onset of “glam rock”, and “country rock”, and then disco, and then New Wave, and Punk, and then Goth, and then Hair Metal, and then Grunge, and then boy bands, and girl bands, and hip hop, and rap, and gangsta rap - etc, etc, etc, - ad nauseum.
Essentially, the music business recognised that maximum profits were going to be achieved by creating a genre of music for every possible demographic - in pretty well every corner of the western world. And then we started to see the advent of “ghettoised radio” - that is, radio stations that only played certain genres of music, and never the twain shall mix ever again.
In particular, the music business discovered marketing - big time. Big, BIG TIME. And their research discovered that an awful lot of people - especially under 25 years of age - choose their music based on how they wish to identify themselves. From a marketing psychology point of view, this discovery was a veritible bonanza - it allowed pure manipulation of the market place across every demographic from TV to magazines to FM radio. All of it became an incestuous self propagating monster designed to exploit that one common bond which exist in all of humanity - that is, the belief that we wish to belong - to something, anything.
As a result, it’s a total fallacy and disingenuous thing to say that “the music belongs to the fans”. Within reason, almost every possible chord structure has already been discovered. Almost every possible chord sequence has been fleshed out. Almost every possible tempo has been played with, and almost every possible melodic phrasing has been explored. In short, less that 1 tenth of 1 per cent of every new song which is released for sale these days is genuinely “new” - and by far the huge majority of music for sale nowadays is some sort of rehashed, stolen, plagiarised form of theft - to a lesser or greater degree. Ergo, to say that “the music belongs to the fans” is bunkum - in reality, the only thing that belongs to the fans is that “it’s now your turn sucker” to be tickled by the marketing machine of YOUR generation. It’s your turn to be ripped off and sold crap music which has been repackaged as some great new revolution.
Of course, artists like Norah Jones prove that there’s still class out there - no denying that at all. But man, I gotta tell ya, I’m really good at music, I do it all, and the results are equal to anything - and indeed any and all of you are welcome to listen to my tunes anytime you want - but I’ll be frank, I’ve been offered record contracts and the dance that you have to do with the devil is so fucking extreme that I’d rather just keep my music to myself thank you. I don’t want the fame. I’ve got my own business with 8 employees and I’m comfortable. I don’t need to be successful in the marketplace to know that I’m a good musician and singer and songwriter. I know that already, and as such, let me tell the OP this… the music does NOT belong to you. In my case, my music belongs to me, and the dance that I’d have to do with the devil for you to become aware of it simply isn’t worth it.
